Letasca mania

It was a bit that with my team we had in mind to start a new content on the blog different from the usual perhaps we decided to give space, trough interviews, to new designers, new owners of brand, new stylist, who are completely in line with our idea of style and in the new website which will be launched in september, we will have an a special section in which you can find these kind of contents…

Today we interviewed a friend but above all a person I estimate from a lots of points of view: Elbio Bonsaglio, co-founder of LETASCA.

1) When did LETASCA born and who are the creators?

LeTasca was born a few years ago, after an idea of my business partner Edoardo Giaroli and I. It is the answer to a practical and present need; we have many objects to carry with us everyday and we really don’t know how to do it in a practical way, we don’t like men’s purses and we find them uncomfortable, we are not (men) used to have our hands busy all day with clutches or similar things and we find them feminine. This led to the idea of something that you can wear but which is also an accessory, functional yet stylish, fashionable but also really practical; a bag that you can wear in order to carry everything that you need.

2) Where does the name come from?

The name obviously recalls the italian noun for pocket (tasca indeed), we thought that calling it simply tasca or le tasche (plural Italian noun for tasca) was too predictable so we mixed and joined the two things. The result is a name that clearly sounds Italian, which tells something about us, without being too strict.

3) What was your inspiration?

We have collaborated with the stylist Ada Kokosar, in a really creative process and shared ideas, inspirations, with the aim of creating a product that hadn’t already be seen too much on the market, which could combine functionality and style in a new and innovative way.

We have been inspired by old military uniforms, by the world of sports, to essentiality and cleanliness of Japanese fashion. Our waistcoats are all reversible, printed on a side and clean on the other (marble for the first collection, metropolis for the second) in order to have both a functional and an emotive side. Now, Letasca is taking a stronger line, more marked, we are always inspired by the military world, functional par excellence and we make it fashionable, futuristic, with marked and minimal lines, with iridescent colors and unexpected shapes.

4) Do you think Italy is ready for this kind of product?

The feedback has immediately been incredible, both in Italy and abroad, it looked like people had really found a solution to a problem, media coverage had been crazy. It is a really versatile product, to be used everyday; it is nice to see how people combine it in multiple ways: in a sporty way or above or under a blazer or coat. This thing amuses me a lot. Therefore yes, Italy is definitely ready…actually super ready! In Milan, for example, they are on sale at Antonioli and at Antonia/ Excelsior, where they both made an incredible sell out.

5) Do you think that the real strenght of these waistcoat resides into innovation?

The strength of this project, in my opinion, resides in the concept of synergy: functionality without giving up on style. My business partner, Edoardo Giaroli and I, are perfectly complementary, really different by character, attitude and competences, we are a perfectly balanced team. To have success, a brand needs multiple and different synergies, this is what we try to obtain from our brand and our products. We try to make each of our pieces iconic, unique and never taken for granted.

6) What is your target?

The target is a man from 20 to 40 years old, dynamic, young and always on the move, who loves sports and life in the open air, he is practical but he doesn’t give up on style. He is a man who loves to distinguish himself, in search for something to make him outstanding. Letasca items are full of personality and only someone with character can wear them without any effort.

7) What is the market on which you are aiming the most?

At the moment we are present in Europe, United States and Asia; thanks God we started really well. The markets on which we are more focused on are the US and Asian giants. The distribution fascinates and amuses me a lot, as soon as I can I catch a flight to NY or Los Angeles and I am organizing a long customers tour in China, Korea and Japan for next autumn.

8) Are you upgrading the choice?

Yes, in January we have presented a really extended collection, composed by waistcoats in new combinations and fabrics, but also fleeces, t-shirts and outerwear such as coats, bomber and field jackets. I am really proud of it because they really are unique pieces, really technical with a peculiar aesthetic, in other words something new. We have just presented our spring summer 2016 at Pitti and we made a further step ahead with the first hint of a total look, we have really worked a lot but we took some giant steps. We love our work and this is an enormous luck, because to have success, the real one, you have to dedicate your life to work, there are no alternatives.

9) Which kind of research you make to create new productions?

The are various things which inspire the collection: a journey, a work of art, a movie, a theatrical work, a photo, seating at a coffee shop to observe how people dress up and maybe you discover that you are more inspired by the uniform of a professional who is refurbishing the facade of a building rather than a perfectly dressed up man who works in a bank; or even that you take inspiration from a clochard on the side of the street.

10) Talk me about the versatility of the waistcoat!

The waistcoat, as I said, is double-faced, on a side there’s the mono-chrome part with pockets, on the other the one with various prints (marbles and cities)…it can be customized upon request, so the more functional side joins the more stylish and trendy one.